Archinect - News

Newly designed Frank Lloyd Wright Trust Visitor and Education Center takes subtle cues from the master

2019-06-27T19:41:00-04:00

For decades, fans of Frank Lloyd Wright have made the journey to the small residential neighborhood of Oak Park, Illinois to where the architect built more than 25 structures during the first half of his career. Of greatest significance is the home and studio he built for himself in 1889, which has been open to the public since 1976 after it was declared a National Historic Landmark.

Children's playroom in The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. Photographer unknown.

In an effort to preserve the look and feel of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio campus, little has been added or reorganized at the site. The newest addition to the campus, however, will be a visitor and Education center designed by Chicago-based John Ronan Architects.

Rendering of The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust Visitor and Education Center, by John Ronan Architects.

At first glance, the renderings of the visitor and education center bears little resemblance to the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, and even less to any of t...

Diébédo Francis Kéré announced as Brunner Prize winner by American Academy of Arts and Letters

2017-03-29T19:20:00-04:00

The American Academy of Arts and Letters has announced the recipients of its 2017 architecture awards. Intended to honor architects whose work is characterized by a strong personal direction, this year's winners were chosen from a group of 27 individuals and practices nominated by members of the Academy. On the jury, were Elizabeth Diller, Henry N. Cobb, Peter Eisenman, Kenneth Frampton, Hugh Hardy, Steven Holl, Thom Mayne, James Polshek, Robert A.M. Stern, Billie Tsien, and Tod Williams.

The top prize, the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize in Architecture, is given to a preeminent architect from any country who has made a significant contribution to architecture as art. The 2017 recipient is Diébédo Francis Kéré, who is having quite the year. He was recently announced as this years designer of the Serpentine Pavilion as well. Kéré is known for his socially driven and sustainable approach to architecture. Based in Berlin and Gando, his hometown in Burkina Faso, Kéré has brought his co...

John Ronan, an architectural star in Chicago

2012-01-14T02:21:00-05:00

A Michigan native who as a boy played with Legos and wrote a fifth-grade essay titled "Why I Want to Be an Architect," Ronan wears the black-on-black palette that is a modernist uniform and goes well with his fluffy gray hair. The recognition for the Poetry Foundation headquarters is his second national Honor Award from the AIA. The first, given in 2009, was for the brightly colored Gary Comer Youth Center in the South Side's Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood.